Although the board felt the software was likely to block nonpornographic sites as well as let through inappropriate material, Library Director Kit Hadley said senior staff reluctantly recommended its adoption under the Children’s Internet Protection Act, which mandates the use of filters to receive federal funds for Internet connectivity. “Is this extortion? Yeah, it is,” said board President Gregory Gray in the May 28 Minneapolis Southwest Journal. Even so, he added, “We need as much money as we can lay our hands on right now” in the wake of a significant decrease in state aid.
The board authorized the filters for only a year, after which the value of an estimated $150,000 in federal grants will be weighed against patron complaints. Each terminal will display a notice citing the funding penalties for not filtering, indicating that patrons 17 and older may request that the filter be turned off, and warning that indecent or unwanted material may still be accessible.
Posted June 4, 2004.